Lita Ford’s debut album is an interesting one. We are all familiar with the Lita Ford circa 1988, with the singles ‘Kiss Me Deadly’ and ‘Close My Eyes Forever’ that pushed her to major stardom. This debut is a far cry from the polished Hard Rock Lita put out in the late ’80s to mid-’90s. This album is basic and raw, not uncommon for a first effort in 1983. The production is not good, a very uneven and muddy mix. It lacks cohesion, probably due to the producer who was also the bass player, Neil Merryweather. Lita is a fine guitar player and Dusty Watson delivers a surprisingly superb performance but it is obvious that Merryweather is the weak link. Where’s the bass?

The songs are hit or miss. Some are just bad (‘Any Way That You Want Me’) but there are some real gems here: ‘Out For Blood’, ‘On The Run’, and ‘Just A Feeling’. It’s obvious that this is the building block that Lita will build her career on, the three aformentioned songs being a look into the future sound Lita would create. I’m surprised that ‘Just A Feeling’ wasn’t a big hit single, it’s a great ballad that probably would have definitely been huge three or four years down the line.

Bottom Line:
Not bad for her first album but it could have been better with a better player on bass, some more guitar layered to enhance the songs, and a better production job. If this was made by a proper band rather than as a solo project, there would be a serious difference. Good, but not great. Best songs: ‘On The Run’ and ‘Just A Feeling’.

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21 comments on “Lita Ford – Out For Blood (1983)”

I think i have to agree with your review. Its not a bad album but its not perfect. About those covers you put on, i have it on vinyl with the first cover and the third photo is the back cover of it. The second cover must be the cd version, no?
Even if its not perfect, i am happy she went solo because i am also a big THE RUNAWAYS fan and in her music i also can feel some of the RUNAWAYS spirit.

I know I had the first two Lita albums on tape, listened to them a lot, used to masturbate in my mind to her gyrating in “Kiss Me Deadly” then felt like an idiot. I got that album for a buck just to visit old memories. It’s not that bad, considering the early years destroy it.

I’ve been a Lita fan since the beginning. Also The Runaways stuff is great as well. Out For blood I thought was a pretty good first album. It shows that she wanted to go in a heavier direction than what The Runaways was.
Lita just got better & better with every album she did.
Good riffs on Out For Blood! I can remember learning to play guitar, & early on playing along to some of those riffs! So the album has that special meaning to me for that. It sure is HARD to find these days!
I got a couple copies (both covers).
There was a video for the song “Out For Blood”. I wish Lita would release a DVD with all the early videos & footage, starting with Out For Blood.
Thanks for reading!
– Gregg Woods

I’m not kinda people who says I fell in love with Lita Ford with one song and didn’t care about her anymore for her another song. She always was one of my top favorite musicians and she still is. After many women come and go into music industry she’s still among those top rare female rockers.

Out for Blood may not have been perfect but it sure did kick my butt back (lots of headbanging memories) in ’83, I was like 13 or 14. This would definitely be my favorite Lita album, though, Dancin on the edge rocked too. Things got a little poppy on the Lita and Stilletto albums, but they were still good. I hear Lita’s making a comeback this summer. I’m glad she’s not done rockin’!

I can see how one could trek back to litas debut album “Out for blood”, after having been broken in to her music by later albums such as “stiletto”, and hearing it as rough, and somewhat incoherent. You should try your best despite the difficulty, to erase your conception of lita based on her later albums, because Out For Blood is simply put: raw, and visceral, It is rough as hell around the edges and gives u a more improvisational impression of her acoustic style, passion, and energy as a musician finding her own flow, after branching of from The Runaways. I Believe Out For Blood is one her Best Albums. NO CONTEST……

GREAT REVIEW! This LP Rocks! I remember seeing Lita on the Dancin’ Tour at the PVA Auditorium in Pomona, CA What an Amazing show! But this LP was really COOL for the time – now Monday morning quarter we can criticize it all we want but in the 80s and with the cover – it WAS HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT OMG. It was soooooooo hard to find even them! Moby Disc in Pasadena, CA was always sold out! And it was soooo hard to find the original but I believe I still have both covers but the Out For Blood Video is AWESOME!!! check it out on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1FU6xVEWBQ

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